This import is impossible without the nuclear deal (the Bill is to be signed tomorrow by US President George W Bush). Perhaps, that is the reason why the DAE is more cautious in its response and is inclined to wait until the final 123 agreement is negotiated. However, former DAE heads are willing to go to the extent of taking a relook at these targets as the Bill passed by the US Congress is unacceptable to them.

‘‘We are disappointed by the end product which is different from what was agreed on July 18. If the end product remains the same, then the deal is unacceptable to us. It is a natural corollary that DAE will then have to revise its targets,’’ former DAE head M S Srinivasan, who opposed the Bill in its final shape, told The Indian Express.

It is important to note here that these targets were set well before the deal was firmed up. ‘‘We are going in for import of light water technology as an external additionality in order to accelerate our nuclear power programme. This, however, requires overcoming certain constraints imposed by international politics. Any reasonable world order can only expect countries to fulfill their international safeguards commitments and no more than that,’’ says the DAE vision document.

The n-deal is not only crucial to importing reactors, but also to meet the shortfall in uranium. This point was elucidated clearly by another former head of the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board A Gopalakrishnan who is now in the forefront of opposing the n-deal.

‘‘Indian natural uranium ores are very low in grade, mainly because the uranium produced in India is roughly six to seven times as costly compared to its price in international market. But currently India is banned from purchasing natural uranium from the international market because of NSG restrictions. Perhaps, the only roadblock in moving aggressively forward with the indigenous nuclear power programme envisioned by Bhabha is this inability to increase uranium supply,’’ Gopalakrishnan wrote in the Economic and Political Weekly (August 27, 2005).

He recognised the fact that US cooperation will be very helpful in facilitating Indian import of uranium. These are exactly the crucial factors that lie behind negotiating the n-deal. Despite these admissions, retired scientists are opposing the deal on the grounds that the Bill passed by the US Congress demands more than what was agreed on July 18 like the ban on detonating a nuclear device.

The fact is that after the Pokhran tests, former DAE heads like R Chidambaram had clearly stated that the five tests were equal to the many tests carried out in the past by other nuclear weapon states. The big question for India, key officials point out, is to obtain requisite energy resources to maintain a 8-9 per cent growth. And nuclear power was one sector where significant improvement can be made.

This, however, will not be possible without access to international cooperation, which the n-deal will unlock.